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Belmont, Squire of Jupiter

For all the enthusiasm Belmont had about catching the jackalope, it was just as thrilling to be here in good company. He couldn’t even be frustrated that it had eluded him again.

“I’ve never been to the Surrounding. I don’t know if I’ve ever even heard of it. If you’re offering, I’d love to visit. And hear the backstory about it being attacked?”

He didn’t think he needed to admit that he also had no idea who or what Chronos was, but if someone was going to give story time, he’d be happy to listen.

“But no pressure, it doesn’t have to be anytime soon. We’ll coordinate.” If he was going to invite them to his Wonder, he had every intention of making it as convenient as possible too. “I don’t know if Jupiter has any season that’s more forgiving, but the storms seem to come and go as they please. I can’t make sense of it, but at least there’s sturdy shelter and a good view to wait them out. And you said you knew a couple of Jupiter Knights?” He tried not to sound too interested as he half-turned to Perdita. “Anyone I should know?”

Emain Ablach, Squire of Earth

He was starting to hear the voices of what must be other people looking for the same damn jackalope they were. There were cries of excitement whenever it was sighted, at the very least. Emain Ablach craned his neck to look in the direction of a couple of the excited cries. He couldn’t see it, so, “maybe we should go that direction?”

Promethei, Squire of Mercury

Well, that was one way for Emain Ablach to still take the lead in the situation even if he managed to lose the damn thing he saw again. Did Cybele manage to catch a particularly wily one, or was it just a case of dealing with jackalopes? Were they all like this? He did catch a page capturing a jackalope that wasn't the right one, so maybe it was just this particular one.

... No matter, he supposed.

The grunt of a response that Imhotep gave earned a quirked smile from Promethei, but he followed, anyway. That wasn't before leaning in the direction of Emain Ablach and murmuring, "Not sure how much you remember about his mannerisms, but he's just like this."

Transcendent Eternal Encke

"Sure. Maybe if we work together, one of us can get it."

"Sibling team!" Anser grinned at Encke, quite happy to join up with someone else who seemed to have marginally more luck than she did. It wasn't like he had the jackalope, but at least he had actually seen it since the start. Unlike her, who hadn't seen it. For a while now.

Encke glanced around the forested area, only to laugh.

"Well, there it is again. Come a little closer maybe?"

[ Encke sees the jackalope! ... for like the fourth time ]

You know, when he was just there, un-noticed, 'hidden,' it wasn't so bad. Hierapolis could observe and listen, and no one paid him any mind, because they were looking for something else. He should have been looking for that other thing too, but this was supposed to be him taking a moment to ground himself. Like a tree. He was just a tree.

Eternal Myrrha

The rumbling of one's stomach was an adversary that Myrrha did not entirely need at this moment. Her concentration engaged, she mentally willed a granola bar to appear from her subspace pocket before she began to nibble on the food slowly. It wouldn't do to simply collapse in a dead faint from being too hungry.

One had to wonder just how much energy the jackalope was using in being so evasive.

Kaifeng, Squire of Saturn

They wandered still, and still saw no trace of the jackalope in these woods. But that, Kaifeng decided, was perfectly okay, for he had Helene with him, and very little could be wrong when he had his zhiyin at his side.

“Y’know, I’ve been thinking about where to look for any maps Xingyi-ge might’ve had,” he said, keeping his voice down in case any creatures nearby might get upset (since the jackalope didn’t seem to be anywhere, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other species around). Gently nuzzling Helene’s shoulder, Kaifeng gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “The one mini-library where I found the tarot-adjacent cards didn’t seem to have any. Neither did the study where I found that black candle, the black shard, and another one of those golden vials that brings back past life memories? And there might still be rooms in the tower where he kept maps, but……?”

Kaifeng lifted his head so he could look up at Helene. “Considering how much Xingyi-ge loved Kaifeng, I’ve been thinking……what if he kept his maps closer than that? Like, in his bedroom or in the studio, maybe?”